Sight adapter for use with ak series rifles

ABSTRACT

The present sight adapter can be designed for use with AK series rifles and can comprise a cutout element that allows standard pistol rear sights to be used with any AK series rifles. This sight adapter can comprise a lug section a leaf section and an aft section, wherein the aft section can comprise a dovetail-shaped cutout wherein the gun sights are made with a male element that is shaped to fit into this dovetail cutout allowing different sights to be interchangeable.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit to provisional application no.61/920,653, filed Dec. 24, 2013, which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present device relates to a sight adapter that is designed for usewith firearms. The sight adapter is specifically designed for use withAK series rifles and can comprise a cutout element that allows standardpistol rear sights to be used with any AK series rifle.

BACKGROUND

A rear sight and a front sight are present on AK series rifles. The useraligns the rear sight with the front sight and the target as a way toincrease accuracy of a shot. The AK series of rifles is not known forits accuracy; specifically the sights of the AK series have long been asource of complaint. Many users have reported that the short sightradius is one of the reasons for the poor accuracy. In reality the sightradius is almost identical to that of the M4 carbine (the standardcarbine of the US army) a weapon renowned for its accuracy. The problemwith the standard AK series sight is the distance of the sights from theeye of the shooter. Unlike most modern rifles that have the rear sightat or towards the rear of the receiver, the AK series rear sight ispositioned at the front of the receiver, making the rear sight fartherfrom the shooter's eye, much like shooting a pistol held at arm'slength.

A specific type of rear sight that can be used with this type of firearmis a tangent sight. Tangent sights comprise markings corresponding tothe angles of elevation and the distance from the target. A rear tangentsight can be mounted to the rifle by attaching the front of the sight tothe rifle at a location on the front of the receiver. The generalconfiguration of an AK series tangent sight comprises an elongated pieceof material with a centerline groove along the length used to align thesights. The length of the AK series sight runs parallel with the gunbarrel. The angles of elevation are marked with horizontal indentationsat regular intervals long the length of the sight. One of the maindrawbacks of using this sight is the small slit used for the rear sight.This small slit is not practical for use when the sight is held at asignificant distance from the user's eye, which leads to an inaccurateshot. Additionally, a tangent sight mounted to an AK series rifle doesnot have any ability to move horizontally. Therefore, the user cannotadjust the sight to compensate for windage.

Pistols often utilize sights located at the rear of the slide. Thesesights are generally made to be interchangeable so that different stylesights can be utilized for different purposes. Specifically, sights withdifferent colored marks can be used, including glowing marks for use insighting at night. In order to make the sights interchangeable the rearend of the pistol slide often comprises a dovetail-shaped cutout. Thesights are made with a male element that is shaped to fit into thisdovetail cutout. This fitting allows different sights to beinterchangeable. Many of these sights comprise a more open rear view,which allows for greater accuracy when aiming the firearm at arm'slength. Additionally, the dovetail fitting allows the sight to be movedhorizontally, which allows the user to compensate for the effect ofwindage on the bullet's trajectory.

The location of the rear sight on an AK series rifle corresponds to thelocation of the rear sight on a pistol when it is held at arm's lengthin relation to the user's eye. The use of the pistol rear sight on theAK series rifle would provide many benefits to the user of an AK seriesrifle. AK series rifle sights are not easily interchangeable and are notcompatible with pistol sights. Therefore, what is needed is an adapterthat can be easily affixed to an AK series rifle, which can make the AKseries rifle compatible for use with pistol sights.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above aspects can be achieved by a sight adapter comprising atangent sight with a dovetail cutout. The dovetail cutout being sized toaccept sights and accessories designed for pistols.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present device, as well as thestructure and operation of various embodiments of the present device,will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the followingdescription of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is an perspective view of the top of a sight adapter according toan embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an perspective bottom view of a sight adapter according to anembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a sight adapter according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a photo containing a perspective top and side view of a sightadapter containing a sight accessory according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a photo containing a side view of a sight adapter containing asight, according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read inconnection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be consideredpart of the entire written description. In the description, relativeterms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,”, “above,”“below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivatives thereof(e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should beconstrued to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown inthe drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenienceof description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed oroperated in a particular orientation. Terms concerning attachments,coupling and the like, such as “connected” and “interconnected,” referto a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to oneanother either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, aswell as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unlessexpressly described otherwise.

The present sight adapter can comprise a dovetail cutout to allow theuser to replace the standard small slit rear sight commonly found on AKseries rifles with a more open pistol rear sight. The present sightadapter can allow the sight to maintain proper elevation adjustment andcan provide the additional ability to shift the pistol rear sight foradjustment due to windage. In addition to the ability to add a standardpistol rear sight via the dovetail cutout, almost any pistol sight canbe inserted increasing the adaptability of the rear sight to match thepreference of the users. This includes the ability to use pistol stylenight sights, peep sights or any number of other aftermarket pistol rearsights.

Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the top of a sight adapter according toan embodiment. The present sight adapter can comprise a rear sight foruse with AK series rifles. The present sight adapter can comprise a lugsection, a leaf and an aft section. The lug section can be narrower andcan comprise two lugs. The lugs can be used to affix the sight adapterto the gun. The lugs can be secured to the rifle through the use ofpivot ears, which can be located on the top of the rifle at the front ofthe receiver. Between the aft section and the lug section can be theleaf The leaf can comprise a central groove, one or more slider slotsand one or more range interval markings. The aft section can be locatedfarthest from the lugs. The lug section and the leaf can be similar indesign and function similar to a common rear sight for use with AKseries rifles. The aft section can comprise a dovetail cutout that issized to accept accessories, including sights that are originallyintended for use with pistols.

The dovetail cutout in the aft section can be dovetail in shape, meaningthat the top of the opening is narrower than the bottom, when this shapeis viewed from the side it has the appearance of the shape of a dove'stail. The dovetail cutout can be sized to act as the female connectionfor the male dovetail shaped sights and accessories. Specifically, thedovetail cutout can run perpendicular to the groove and can extend fullyacross the entire aft section of the sight adapter.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a sight adapter according to an embodiment.From the side view the elevation of the aft section can be viewed. Theaft section can be offset from the plane of the leaf. The offset canallow the top and the bottom of the aft section to be slightly lowerthan the leaf. The lower location can allow any added sights to alignproperly on the AK series sight.

The width of the uppermost part of the dovetail cutout opening measuringfrom the front of the gun to the back of the gun can measure 0.250″ withthe sides extending into the adapter 0.079″ deep at a 74° angle. Thesemeasurements can be used to secure a Glock® brand pistol sight. However,the dovetail cutout can be sized such that it can secure any brandpistol sight that has a male dovetail shape and the dimensions cancorrespond with the dimensions of the male dovetail of the sight andaccessories to be attached to the sight adapter so that a secure fit canbe achieved.

FIG. 3 is a perspective bottom view of a sight adapter according to anembodiment. The bottom of the lug section and the leaf can be flat, andthe aft section can be slightly lower, which is due to the offset ofthis section. The leaf can comprise one or more slider slots, so that aslider can be used to adjust the elevation of the tangent sight forshooting at varying distances. The slider slots can be indentions intoone of the bottom corners of the leaf These sliders slots can performthe function of slider slots that are located on any traditional tangentrear sights for use with AK series rifles.

FIG. 4 is a photo of a perspective top and side view of a sight adaptercontaining a sight accessory according to an embodiment. To use thesight adapter, the user can choose any sight with a dovetail connection.This shape is commonly used by all sights designed for use on pistols.The ability to choose any sight with this shape, can provide the userwith a much wider range of sight options than what is currentlyavailable for use with an AK series rifle. The user can take theselected male dovetail sight and slide it into the dovetail cutout. Thedovetail cutout can be sized to securely hold the sight in place duringuse. The size can also permit the movement of the sight accessoryhorizontally with a force applied by hand. This movement can allow theuser to compensate for windage while sighting with an AK series rifle.

As an alternative embodiment, additional features can be included on thesight adapter. Hash marks can be included on the very back of the aftsection on the user side of the dovetail cutout. These hash marks canallow the user to more accurately adjust his or her sighting of atarget. Moreover, the dovetail cutout can comprise two channels runningfrom one side of the gun to the other side within the dovetail cutout.

FIG. 5 is photo of a side view of a sight adapter containing a sight,according to an embodiment. The two channels that can be included in thedovetail cutout can be located on each of the two bottom corners of thedovetail cutout. The two channels can be included for ease inmanufacturing. The sight adapter can function properly with or withoutthe two channels.

Although the present sight adapter has been described in terms ofexemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appendedclaims should be construed broadly, to include other variants andembodiments of the present sight adapter, which may be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the scope and range ofequivalents of the present device.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sight adapter comprising: a lug sectioncomprising two lugs wherein the lugs are secured to a rifle through theuse of two or more pivot ears located on the top of the rifle at thefront of the receiver; a leaf section comprising a central groove, oneor more slider slots and one or more range interval markings; and an aftsection comprise a dovetail cutout.